Lost
by inkoholic
Summary: Tony's "foot in mouth", the harder he tried, the more he stuck his foot in his mouth, and the more nervous he got, and stuck his foot in his mouth again, and the angrier Pepper got at him. Happens in moviverse between 1 and 2, first rodeo, please review.
1. Thoughs

**[Yeap this is the version 2.0 of the story, corrected this time grammar and spelling and many other things thx to the awsome** _saichick, _**she helped me alot in correcting this and now I'm upgrading the story with this better written document. Nothing of the story had changed just it flows like charm in English now. So yeah re-reading is encouraged maybe you would like a little bit more or just understand some parts than were a little bit confusing or just meaningless so enjoy and thx for the reviews really helps alot]**

**_Intro_**

I have been thinking of that night. Maybe it was months ago, but I'm still trapped in that little moment in time when I saw her in that sexy and beautiful dress [and] my mind forgets everything else that keeps it busy.

I can't understand why lately I find really hard to talk to her. Even trivial stuff requires a titanic effort and always ends in frustration, at least for me. I can't understand why I'm having difficulty with simple things as though it were rocket science. Even when I talk to her about work and professional crap, it's still hard. My head feels lost and my ideas disappear. I answer her as if my mind is on autopilot.

Because my mind is so focused on her, I get lost in her emerald eyes and start fantasizing about telling her all the things that pass through my head. But it's impossible to articulate the words because they move through my mind faster than my mouth can form the words, making me look like a fool with weird sounds instead of words.

What does she have than the other girls don't? I mean, come on! I can get any girl I want … except for her. I can flirt with any chick, except her...

Is it just my stupidity, or pure coincidence? But every time I meet her eyes, time just stops and my mind becomes blank. I simply stop thinking. GAH! Again I just got lost! I feel so hopeless, so foolish.

She knows everything about me, but I don't know anything about her. Sometimes I think I just know her name. I don't even know her birthday, or at least I can hardly remember. It's something so silly and trivial, but at the same time, so important in those human relations.

Why has she stayed by my side all this years? No matter what, there she was... for me.

Why?

"Excuse me sir but the diagram than you asked is ready now," Jarvis abruptly interrupted Tony's thoughts, leaving him puzzled for a few seconds.

"Huh?"

"Sir, is everything alright? You seem a little lost." The A.I. sounded concerned about its master.

"Oh yeah, the diagram. Thanks, Jarvis."

Tony left his desk in order to check out the diagram that was being projected around his workshop. He was trying really hard to focus on the diagram, but his mind was someplace else playing a bad joke on Tony since he had beaten Stane.

Lately those thoughts were haunting him more than usual, especially every time he had to change his palladium batteries or check his blood toxicity. A great paradox, the arc reactor had saved his life, but now it was slowly and painfully killing him. Worse than if he had been left in Afghanistan to die with the shrapnel in his heart. Unfortunately, this time there were no Yinsen, no one else to help or talk about it.

With these thoughts, he simply went back to his desk, took a sheet of paper and a pen, and started to rewrite his will. While he was writing, he got upset at the mixture of feelings and tears dropped in silence. He wiped them and got more upset, took the paper away, and in a rage he simply kicked his chair, making it to crash to the ground and his tools drop everywhere. Tony quickly left workshop, opened his bedroom door, and slammed it behind him.

Pepper was still at the mansion, working on her laptop. When she heard the door slam, she jumped out of her seat, making her upset enough to yell at him. "Tony! What are you doing up there?"

But there was no answer.


	2. The Pianist

**[updated corrected spelling and grammar errors now flows like a charm in english, re- read encouraged keep enjoying]**

Chapter 2: The pianist

That night he couldn't sleep. With his mind full of stuff and no other human being around to talk to he got more depressed. Tony went downstairs for a bottle of whisky and took it with him to the living room to his big, black piano. The night sky was full of clouds, with lightning flashing here and there. Soon water started to pour on the window. He took another sip of his bottle, watching the rain fall, and sighed.

"Well, it still is beautiful night out there, isn't it?" he asked himself. There were almost no lights in the mansion but the arc reactor in his chest. He played his piano for the rest of the night.

The next morning, when Pepper went to the mansion to make sure Tony would be ready for his schedule, she could hear the piano music as soon as she stepped out of her car in the garage/workshop. For a few moments, the strange selection of music puzzled her.

"_OK, that's really weird,"_ she thought. She runs upstairs to find Tony playing the piano, totally lost in the music.

"_Tony?"_

He didn't answer her, and that was starting to get in her nerves. Last night, no answer. The day before, the same. And today, no answer? Come on! It seemed that Tony was torturing her since the beginning of the week and she just wanted an answer. _"Tony! Tony! Don't ignore me Tony." _She approached him, but he didn't seem to be paying attention to her or anything else around him.

Pepper just sat beside him. Tony gave her a quick glance and smiled and switched over to John Lennon's song Love. Tears formed in her eyes as her mind puzzled over the information she was receiving. "Tony, I … I didn't know you ... you play very well."

He stopped playing and made eye contact with her. After a long and uncomfortable silence, he finally spoke. "_Now that I finally have your attention, will you listen to what I need to tell you?"_

His thoughts slowed down, but at the same time they started to crash and become very confusing. "_Pepper I... I... You... I... I...," _but he couldn't finish the phrase. He was interrupted by Peppers black berry. She took out her phone and answered it. It was a member of the board asking where Tony was because the meeting had just started. She tried to give an explanation, but he took the phone from her hand and hung up. "_It can wait..."_

But her phone started to ring again and again. "_No, Tony, it can't wait. Get ready. You should have been at Stark Industries by now,"_ she said.

"_Ok, you're right." _He ran upstairs to change clothes. Oh god it's so fucking hard, why? As he changed his palladium battery and threw it away, he saw himself reflected on the window. Look at you Tony! You have all and nothing! Nothing has changed since Afghanistan. You're the same drunk shit and she knows that! Besides, how in the world do I tell her that I love her when I'm dying? Hey! Pepper … I love you, but guess what? I'll only be here for 3 months or so and then I'll be 6 feet under because the palladium is killing me!

Well, at least by her side, those 3 months would be worth something. Anything else won't matter. He sighed deeply...

"_Tony, are you ready?" _she called.

He came out of his room and gave Pepper his tie. She fixed it, then they both went to the car to drive them to Stark Industries.


	3. Thank God is Friday

**[Ok chap is ready, sorry for the super long chapter but i didn't want to cut into more chaps cause it really didn't look like it was ****possible. So yeah also its a bonus for waiting alot for new chap so thx for the patience, for the reviews and support. Im willing to improve so if someone wants to be my beta reader ill be happy. oh yeah and keep reviewing please! is the only way i can get better]**

Chapter 03: Thank God is Friday

It was seven in the morning and Tony was already up and ready for a training session with Happy Hogan. "Hey, Hogan, are we ready?"

"Yeah, yeah boss. Come here and I'll teach you some movements," Happy smirked.

"Ok, then, here i go." Tony entered the ring and adjusted his fighting gloves.

"Now boss, I want to see what you're made of," Hogan stated. They started to fight. Happy kept punching Tony and giving him instructions on how to block or how to punch back.

As far as Tony was concerned, this week had been a total nightmare and receiving Hogan's punches wasn't as painful as seeing Pepper become upset and more and more distant on him every day. Tony cursed himself under his breath between Happy's punches, which Happy simply ignored. "_Stupid! Stupid! I'm an asshole! This entire week has been a monumental waste of time. Every chance I get with her, I end up ruining it. Worse, she ends up upset at me. But maybe she is right about being upset at my stupidity. It's not her fault… its mine!" _Suddenly a big fist made contact with Tony's mouth that left him bloody and bleeding on the floor, confused and in pain.

"Sorry, boss, but you forgot to cover yourself again. Remember … focus." Hogan gave Tony a hand up and checked his face. "Are you ok, boss?"

Tony was breathless, he simply spit out the blood. "Yeah, I'm fine. Come on, let's continue." They started over again, but this time Tony put his mind in blank so he could focus on his lesson and forget everything else.

Pepper got to the mansion and found Happy coaching Tony on his workout with the weights. "Mr. Stark, before you continue, I need you to sign this please. And don't forget you need to see your new recruits. They will be waiting for you at 9 am."

Tony interrupted his workout to sign the papers. "Is that all, Mss. Potts?"

"Yes, that's all, Mr. Stark."

Pepper retrieved her car from the garage so she could drive to Stark Industries and take care of some things she needed to do. She was doing avoiding him. She wanted to spend less time with him. When something needed to be attended by Tony, she hid behind her professional mask so Tony wouldn't approach her in that weird way that was getting on her nerves. Tony did stupid, childish things to her, but she didn't know how to deal with it. Part of her wanted to know what he was up to, while the other part didn't want the answer to that question because she knew it wasn't something good.

Tony continued his workout while Happy left the room to get cleaned up and ready for his next assignment. Meanwhile, Tony got more upset every time he lifted the dumbbell. "_It's incredible! She is ignoring me! Come on Stark! Get over it. You're an ass and you know it, she knows it, and there's nothing you can do about it. Why? Because you're an idiot! You chicken out, or screw up or something similar every time you get the chance. There won't BE any more chances because you have wasted them all already. She doesn't want to know anything else about you. You ruined it, Tony! Well done! Now the girl of your dreams is farther away__than before. Maybe this time she will fly away and it will be mission impossible to get her back!"_

"Easy, easy boss..." Happy interrupted his thoughts. "Hoooa, that's enough boss or you will hurt yourself." Happy grabbed the dumbbell away from him.

Tony's arms hurt and he was breathing hard. "Yeah, you're right Happy. Thanks for the training. Can we continue on Monday?"

"Sure, boss, no problem," Happy replied. "If you keep training this way, Iron Man will be kicking asses in no time and you won't get hurt anymore."

Tony tapped Happy's shoulder and smiled at him. "Thanks."

After that, Tony headed to the shower to get ready to meet the new recruits he hired from MIT. He wanted them to work on different technologies to show that Stark Industries could do more than just blow things up. "_Anyways," _he told himself as he headed to Stark Industries, _"working with young minds would be good for the company, a bunch of kids eager to hit the road in the big leagues and show they are worth something. Yes new ideas, big ideas, fresh minds not contaminated by the blow things up syndrome. Willing to learn as much as they could. Yes. Just what I need_."

As afternoon rolled around, he wondered why he hadn't seen Pepper all day. He decided to call her.

Pepper picked up her Black Berry and, when she saw who was calling, she was surprised. He hadn't bothered her all day until now, so she took a chance and answered the call.

"Hey Pep, do you have plans?"

"Tony! Plans? Wh..What do you mean plans?"

"Do you want to have dinner with me? Nothing fancy. I just ordered a pizza and it's too much for me. I want to share it."

"Oh, Tony, I'm sorry. I need to finish something. I really want to finish my work so I can have a relaxing weekend."

"But you can finish it on Monday. Please?"

"Ah, well, o-ok. Where are you?"

"In my office."

"I'll be there in a minute."

Tony waited for her, but he felt time was making him a bad joke, making him feel like he had been waiting for hours when the truth was far from that. Just a couple of minutes had passed. He was nervous and didn't know what to expect. What would her reaction be? Was she still mad at him? She finally appeared at his office door with papers in her hands. She walked over, making him stand up as though he were pushed away from his chair.

"Hi, Pep. I'm not sure what your favorite pizza is, but I hope you like this one." He opened the pizza box and offered it to her. She left the papers on his desk and grabbed a slice. He did the same and put the box back on his desk.

"Thanks," she said. "You know I don't usually eat this stuff, but right now I'm too tired to look for dinner."

"Relax," he replied, "it's Friday and the weekend is just starting."

"I don't think I can relax," she hedged, "I still have things to do."

"Oh, I'm forgetting something!" Tony took out two mugs and offered one to Pepper.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Coffee," he said. "I forgot to ask for something to drink when I called for the pizza." Tony looked at her with sheepish eyes.

"Oh … well … this is actually kind of gross!" Pepper exclaimed.

"I know," he apologized, "but let's just forget for a bit that it's a greasy pizza, that we are drinking coffee, and that we are eating in the least fancy and glamorous way possible. Let's just enjoy the moment!"

After finishing dinner, Tony stood and headed to the door. "Are you coming?"

"Sure," Pepper replied. "I need to go with you anyways. I left some stuff behind that I need to take with me, so let's go."

Tony was a little confused, but at the same time, he was calmer just from the fact Pepper had stopped avoiding him for the moment and had stopped using that professional mask that made him feel like he was talking to a complete stranger. When they got to the mansion, he was eager to tell her everything. He hoped it would be the last shot and then maybe, just maybe, things would get better. Pepper sat on the coach and started writing things in her agenda while gathering her papers from the coffee table.

Tony sat down beside her. "Pepper, can we talk?" he asked. His voice was low, almost like a whisper.

She turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow, but before she could say something, Jarvis interrupted with an urgent call from Nick Fury. "Excuse me, Sir, but Nick Fury is on the line and says it's urgent."

"Hang up! Not now!" Tony ordered.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Fury started to speak on the speakerphone. "Stark! I hope I am not interrupting you from any of your important tasks, but listen! The route is already programmed into your suit. You need to go to Kurdistan to take care of some ten rings cells that are hitting everyone there."

"But I thought I finished with them last month!" Tony protested.

"Yeah, well, we thought the same thing, but it seems some of the sympathizers regrouped and reopened for business," Nick Fury growled, "so, Stark! The party is waiting for you! Fury, out."

Tony sighed. With his left hand, he reached for Peppers hand. "Will you be here tomorrow?"

"S-sorry, Tony," she stammered. "I'll see you on Monday."

He bowed his head and his expression changed dramatically. He dropped Peppers hand and stood up. "Ok, then, till Monday. Pep, have a nice weekend."

She felt a little guilty. He was heading to a mission she was not sure if it was the last time she would see him alive. He walked slowly, watching at the floor as he headed for the workshop to get into the suit and start the mission, but she interrupted his marching.

"Tony!" she called, looking into his sad brown eyes. "I'll come back tomorrow to check up on you, okay?" Tony smiled at her and she saw his sad dark eyes start to glow again. She followed him down to the workshop and watched as the machines finished assembling his suit. When he stepped down and prepared to fly, she took his wrist. He gazed at her, waiting. "Please, Tony, be careful," she pleaded as she stared into his eyes.

"Yeah," he whispered.

She let go his arm and he sped away, leaving Pepper in the workshop, alone, with her mind full of guilt about how she had been treating Tony all week.

**[Sorry for spaming youre alerts with this, i know is not new chapters or stuff is just a better written same chapter, but it reads way much better than before, please say thx to saichick she is doing an awsome job as my beta reader.**

**Anyway chap 4 is taking like forever i know but since i dont have internet and im on exams it will take a more few days, but it will be here]**

**[thx for the reviews and help peeps u rock]**


	4. Iron Man

**[Hey everyone, finally updated. Thanks for waiting, in return i give you super long chapter. I would like to thnk all the people who added this story to their faves and are following it. Also for all the coments, but i would like to ask than reviews really help me to improve so keep reviewing please :D.]**

**[ENJOY!]**

**Chapter 04: Iron Man**

It was already evening when Pepper got home. She didn't want to stay at the mansion, but she didn't want to be at home, either. She didn't know where to be, or what to do.

After thinking for a while, she went to the kitchen, prepared some hot cocoa, and went to her bedroom. She forgot to bring home her laptop. Therefore, she took off her shoes and left them on the floor.

"Idiot! Potts, you are an idiot!" she chided herself. "You should have given him a chance, or at least some credit! The man has been making some effort. He is not perfect. He is still human not matter what his huge ego says. Tony is not _The Tony_ of three months ago. Something changed when he came back."

Pepper took a sip of her hot cocoa. Grabbing the remote control and turning on the TV, all she wanted to do was to stop thinking about Iron Man, or Tony, or anything related to that topic. She just zapped through the channels on the TV, maybe just to find some random report like "Iron Man Saves the Day," just to feel better, but she was unlucky. She gave up.

After a few hours of watching repeat episodes of random series, she fell asleep.

On the other side of the world, Tony saved the day. He was exhausted and hurt. All he wanted to do was get back home to see her. Unfortunately, he was so hurt. Every inch of his body was in pain, and he found difficult to stay on his feet.

"God this stupid helmet is suffocating me! Time to get rid of this stupid suit. It feels too heavy," he muttered to himself.

Tony ripped off his helmet, throwing it away so he could feel the air on his face. It felt refreshing after the hard battle. The next thing he knew, Agent Coulson was beside him.

"Mr. Stark, you appear to be in need of some medical attention," Coulson said. He gave Tony a hand and picked up his helmet.

"Agent Coulson you're omnipresent!" Tony replied.

Coulson smiled at him. "No, Mr. Stark. I just do my job, and my job is to keep an eye on you so you stay on one piece."

Tony gave Coulson a look of disbelief and laughed. "So, you're like my super special babysitter? God! Fury really loves me!"

"Well, not exactly," Coulson answered. "I'm more like your guardian angel when you're doing missions. I'll be watching you're six. You are new to this. You need me more than you think … so … Mr. Stark, lets patch you up."

The agent led Tony to a vehicle. The driver drove them to an S.H.I.E.L.D. base full of agents walking frantically in and out of the base.

"Well, Mr. Stark, here we are," Coulson stated. "Just get patched up and you will be ready to get back home."

Tony got out of the vehicle and walked through a crowd of men and women in black. Many of them whispered as he passed by. Being patched up was always the worst part of any mission. The doctors took off the armor covering his arms, but when they wanted to take of his chest armor, he felt so much pain that he pushed the doctors away.

"Don't… I'm perfectly fine," he said, breathing heavily from the pain. "Just give me back my stuff. I need to go."

"But Mr. Stark," one of the doctors said, giving him a concerned look. "You might have internal bleeding or something. We need to check. It's for your safety."

"Don't worry," Tony said. "I'll call my doctor when I get home. I just need to go."

He took his repulsor gloves, put them back on, and headed home. During the flight, he ignored the pain. All what he wanted was to see her. He made the suit fly at its maximum speed just to fly faster to the other side of the globe. When he reached the coast of Malibu, it was 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning. His stomach was growling. He decided to look for doughnuts and coffee.

"Well I can't fight evil with empty stomach," he told himself.

After slowing down a bit, he found the gigantic doughnut he was looking for. Landing in front of the store took off his helmet and walked in.

"Hey, good morning," he greeted. "I need the biggest box of doughnuts … and the biggest coffee available. Charge them to my account."

The kid behind the counter was speechless. He couldn't believe Iron Man was there, asking for doughnuts and coffee. While the clerk was processing all this information, Tony was trying to remember if he brought his wallet or not and how to pay. Unfortunately for him, he had no wallet and had no idea how to pay the kid. Or at least make the kid move. The kid was still frozen in place like a statue. Finally, Tony approached and waved his hand.

"Hello? Hey … you … kid… erm … Sam! Give me lots of doughnuts and lots of coffee. And you can keep my helmet, since… I forgot my wallet at home."

Tony put the helmet on the counter despite the fact it had scratches and maybe some blood inside. Sam held it with shaking hands. He felt like he was holding the Holy Grail or something sacred.

"Y-yes, f-for you anything Iron Man," Sam said. He ran to get the coffee and as many doughnuts as the box could hold.

"So… well that would not get you in trouble right?" Tony said as Sam finished up, munching a muffin he stole from the counter.

"No… no, Iron Man…" Sam stuttered. "I…I invite, I mean … heroes need some reward! Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Tony said.

"How was it?" asked Sam.

"How was what?" Tony inquired.

"The battle, you know?" Sam said. "I mean … look at yourself, man! You really need some rest."

"Well," Tony said, "if you really want to know … it wasn´t as cool as in the movies. I got disappointed. I was expecting big booms. But was tough and … full of bullets, that's it, nothing fancy."

Sam looked a little puzzled because his hero was disappointed for some reason. Or maybe he was just beat up.

"Here," Sam said, giving Tony the doughnut box and the extra large coffee.

"Thanks a lot, kid," Tony stated, taking his meal. "I'll pay you back when I get my wallet."

"Iron man?" Sam asked, looking at Tony expectantly.

"Yes kid?" Tony replied.

"Can I take a picture, you know?" Sam asked.

"Sure, why not," Tony said, smiling. "After all … you just saved Iron Man."

Sam smiled. He took out his mobile phone and set up the camera, then ran and posed beside Tony. Tony put back his helmet and posed for the picture.

When Tony finally got home, it was noon already. He crashed on his garage/workshop floor instead of landing.

"Damn it!" he muttered, standing up and taking apart the damaged parts of his suit before stepping up to the machines to take off the rest. Tony realized that his neoprene suit had dried blood stains, which for him was unusual since the suit was designed to protect him.

"Ok," he told himself, "worst things have happened before. Besides … it's not as bad as it looks" he told himself and headed to the bathroom. A shower would be easier and less painful than trying something else. He took off the neoprene suit to find his right shoulder was also covered with blood. "Ok. This wasn't expected," he muttered, stepping into the shower and turning it on. Hot water trickled down his body and red liquid was getting everywhere. He felt some pain, but just grit his teeth.

Now I understand her concern about all this superhero stuff, he thought to himself. Being in places I never imagined. Dangerous places with dangerous people. Waiting hours for a good or bad news about how it went? If I'm dead or alive? Poor Pepper … that would be too much for her.

Now I got my epiphany. Bravo, Stark! You just needed a complete week to discover it. It would have been less time if I had called a NASA genius before to solve this. Maybe that's why she has been acting that weird since I announced I'm Iron Man. I need to do something for her about it. It's either that, or she'll be gone. I mean, she's been with me all this years, no matter the circumstances. But this? This is beyond all that. No matter what stupid shit I have done to her, all my childish tries to get her in my bed … all that its nothing compared to this.

I focused on Iron Man and Pepper separately. I didn't see they were in the same equation all this time. No matter how much I joked about with her about it. What a genius, Tony! Really brilliant! Just brilliant!

Tony stepped out of the shower and inspected his right shoulder. He could see it turning into a big bruise and inside a big rash. He put a towel around his waist and inspected himself in the mirror. He found more bruises on his body. He nodded and went to dress up to his bedroom.

"Jarvis," he asked. "Where is Pepper?"

"Miss Potts is still at home, Sir," JARVIS replied.

"Well, let's make it up to her, JARVIS," he said. "Open my email inbox and let's get to work." He went downstairs to his workshop in order to work on the tedious things he hated so much.

Pepper opened her eyes just in time to be blinded by bright sun light coming from the window. "What time is it?" she grunted. Her right hand felt around for her black berry in the night table. She found it and picked it up to see the hour.

"No it can't be! It's already 12:53pm? God!" She put back the blackberry on the night table and got up. She headed into the shower and rushed to get her clothes. Grabbing her black berry when she was done, she headed into the living room where she had left her things. She took everything, went for her car keys and headed to the mansion. When she parked at the workshop/garage found everything in order, she automatically thought Tony hadn't come back.

"Oh god Tony…" She rushed upstairs and was relieved to find Tony in the living room yelling at the cell phone. She decided to wait for him on the coach. She opened her laptop to check out her boss email inbox and started to work. To her surprise, the inbox had only 5 messages. All were responses thanking Tony for solving the issues. Her eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't believe Tony had actually put his ass to work doing all the stuff he hated most! What struck her the most was that he was being responsible about his business, instead of asking her to figure out what he was supposed to do with them.

Tony hung up the phone and sat beside her. "Hey Pep, I thought you might not be coming."

She closed the laptop and made eye contact with him. "No, don't say that. I just overslept." She nodded.

He smiled. "I understand, don't worry. What about if get some snacks and we… you know, watch a movie or something."

"Sure. I'm glad you are fine, Tony."

"I am Iron Man remember?"

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Yeah sure, you really know how to ruin the moment Tony."

"Look, Pepper," he said. "I really understand how you feel about this. I know it's dangerous. But it's not stupid or worthless like other really stupid things I have done. I'm glad I can count on you, and that you are still with me. You are the only one I have."

Meanwhile, to himself he thought, come on Tony. Say it. Say you love her. Come on. It's very simple.

Pepper smiled. "You're the only one I have, too, Tony."

He blinked a few times, puzzled, and changed the subject. "So what movie you want to see?"

Pepper thought to herself and smirked, Tony was nervous? That's new! Wait a minute … that's not Tony. That's not _my_ Tony. What does Fury do to him? Brainwash him? Make a clone and replace the original? Ok, Pots, admit it. You like the new Tony more than the old one. Enjoy it.

"Anything you want," was all she said.

"Ok," he smiled. He knew Pepper wasn't the girl next door who liked those boring chick love movies and crap. He always liked that about her, the fact she was different from other girls. He chose an action movie. Taking some chips he had on the coffee table, he sat besides Pepper.

In the middle of the movie, Tony felt sleepy. Not because the movie was boring. In fact, the movie was very good. He was just so tired. Laying down, he rest his head on Pepper's lap and felt asleep.

"Oh, Tony," she sighed, "what am I going to do with you?" She smiled and passed her hand through his hair.

**[What will happen next episode? Will Tony get the chick? The writter doesnt even know... Discover it in next chapter...]**


	5. Paladium

**[Finally it's here. So i hope you liked it, sorry not much action here but enjoy... and don't forget to leave comments. That way I can improve and the story too. Cheers.] **

Tony opened his eyes and saw the credits were rolling on the TV screen.

"What did I miss?" he asked with a grumpy voice.

"Half of the movie Tony," Pepper answered chuckling.

"Oh," he said, surprised. "Was I out that long?"

"Yep," she answered.

Tony smiled. "So… How was the half I missed?" he asked, trying to make conversation with her.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't expect that ending, so sad," she answered. "But was a good ending anyways."

Tony got up. Before he could do or say anything else, he was interrupted by Pepper.

"I'm glad you're fine, Tony," she said. "I was worried. But for now I have to go."

Tony's eyes widened and his mind collapsed. "Wh-what? You have plans?" he asked, confused.

"Not exactly," she answered. Concerned by the way he was looking at her, she added, "I'll just let you rest. You really need some sleep, Tony."

"Me? Sleep?" he protested. "I already did both. What if we go out for a meal or something?"

"I-I don't… I'm not… I mean, I'm not hungry."

Tony was starting to get frustrated again. Pepper was pushing him away, or it was something he created from the beginning. He wasn't sure.

_Dam__n it! Well, I'm being selfish after all, but I don't want to let her go, either. She has been with me all this time. It didn't matter if I was about to wreck the company or if I was too drunk on an important speech I was giving. She helped me get rid of all my one night stands without complaining. So what's different now? _

_Does she know my condition?_

_No… No it can't be._

_Maybe… Maybe she is tired of me, I __can't blame her. _

_I need to talk to her__. I need her to listen to me. But I don't want to tell her my condition, either. That would be worse than all the shit I have thrown at her. That's not fair to her. She is already too worried every time I'm out for a mission. _

_Maybe… I need to talk to someone._

Pepper left the room and went home.

The next morning, Happy got there very early to help Tony with his training. After they finished, Tony was exhausted and sat on the coach.

"Are you ok boss?" asked Happy, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but I need you to help me with something." Tony was getting pale. He looked sick.

"Wh-what do I need to do, boss?"

"Get…" Tony found it hard to breath. "Get the box I have in my workshop. It's the brown one on the desk."

"Got it." Happy didn't hesitate and ran downstairs into the workshop. He stood in front of the desk full of things and papers. The computer screens where on and everything looked confusing. Happy looked around to look for something in the "shape" of a box.

"Box, brown box… Here!" He found it and rushed back to the coach. "Here boss." Happy said, handing the box to Tony.

Tony opened the box and took out a palladium battery. Showing it to Hogan, he said, "This… This is killing me."

"Excuse me?" Hogan asked, surprised about his bosses statement.

"Let me tell you … for now this keeps me alive, Happy," Tony said, "but it's killing me very slowly. I…" Tony became silent for a moment and replaced the battery from his miniaturized arc reactor. "No one knows this, and I want to keep it that way. But since you are the only one I trust and you are the best in the business, I need to talk to someone."

"I'm listening." Happy felt a knot on his throat. He didn't know where this conversation was going or what else to expect since in his mind it was hard to attach the words Tony Stark and death in the same sentence.

_Come on__? My boss and best friend is Iron Man. How in the world could Iron Man die or get sick or anything? No…wait… He's still a human being. How can people forget that little fact? Damn it! _

"Well …" Tony said, "I fabricated this arc reactor and it runs under palladium batteries. So I just change them and I can keep fighting evil with Iron Man. But…"

That last word echoed on Happys' mind. He looked at Tony in horror. Horror at seeing him so helpless and there being nothing he could do about it. So he sat next to Tony and waited for the rest of the conversation.

"There's a little problem. Palladium is toxic." Tony took a deep breath and finally he felt a little better. The change of the battery helped a little for his health. "It's like poison. I thought the concentration in my blood would not be a serious issue. Would give me the time to figure out a solution to replace palladium batteries with something non-toxic. Most important … not have to use batteries that I would need to replace over and over and over."

Tony made eye contact with a terrified Hogan. Happy was starting to get where his boss was taking the conversation. "But?" Hogan asked.

"But…" answered Tony. "I'm running out of time. The palladium for some reason is poisoning me faster than I expected. The batteries are being changed more often, which is not good. And the worst is … I haven't figured out the solution for this problem."

Happy was speechless for the first time in many years. Tony always looked to him for advice, to help him get out of his constant and multiple "Stark-crisises," or simply just have someone listen to him. But this time was different. Too much information to digest. And most important … his boss was telling him he was dying?

"Are you sure you can't figure this out on time?" Hogan asked.

"No, I'm not," Tony said. "Failure this time wasn't an option. I think I'm just being realistic."

"How long?" Hogan asked him.

"Couple of months," Tony answered, avoiding all eye contact with Happy.

Both were silent for a long while, avoiding eye contact. Just sitting there, Hogan felt like at least he was doing something for Tony. He felt so useless! He always had helped and protected his boss. But now … this was beyond him.

"I-I ... Would you like me something to do for you boss?" Happy asked nervously.

"Yes, take my will to my attorney," Tony answered. "I rewrote it… Then, take my entire art collection to the local art museum. I already spoke to the director and she was pleased with my donation."

"What else can I do for you, boss?" Happy asked with a very cut off voice.

Tony made eye contact with Happy and answered, "When I'm gone, please. Hogan… I ask you to take care of Pepper."

"Yes boss, I will." Hogan told Tony in a very low voice that sounded almost like a whisper.

Tony just smiled at him.

When Pepper got to the mansion, Happy was arriving at the garage as well.

"Good morning, Ms Potts," Happy said with almost no interest.

"Good morning, Happy," Pepper answered, puzzled. She could see that Happy was depressed for some reason, no matter that he hid behind his black shades. "Is everything all right?"

Hogan tried his best to hide his concern about the little chat he had with his boss hours ago. "Yeah, yes, I'm just… I'm fine Ms. Potts."

She gave him a concerned look, but he avoided all eye contact. Pepper left him in the garage/workshop and went upstairs to get Tony ready for his schedule. When she got there, Tony was already dressed. He was drinking coffee while barking on his phone and typing on his laptop. She waited for him to hang up.

"Good morning Mr. Stark, for today…" She looked through a bunch of papers she held in her hands. "You need to sign these. And prepare the speech for the MIT graduates."

"Yeah, I know," he said. "I'm just finishing that."

_He knows? __ Wh-what did he just say? Did he just say he was finishing preparing the speech? What's going on here?_

"Excuse me?" Pepper squeaked.

"Yeah," he answered. "I just finished the speech. Give me the papers to sign."

Pepper gave him the papers. She was confused and felt she was in an unknown dimension or something. He signed them and gave them back to her.

"Is there anything else, Miss Potts?" Tony asked.

"No, that's all Mr. Stark." she answered, still in shock.

_Ok… this is strange. One day he tries (miserably) to tell me about being his superhero girlfriend__. Then the next he ignores me and pushes me away? What the hell is wrong with this man? I mean, I know its Tony Stark… I know him. He always was fooling around with me. But it never was serious till __that night__…_

_But come on__, its Tony. I know how he is with girls. This can't be THAT serious. Or can it? _

Tony was at his workshop viewing some Iron Man designs when Happy arrived. He stepped out of the car and gave Tony a small box.

"Hey boss, this is for you," Happy said, handing the package to Tony. "It's from the director of the art museum."

"What's this?" Tony asked.

"Open it, and we'll found out," Happy answered with a smile.

"Good point." Tony opened the little box and inside was a little iron man action figure and a note asking him if he would like to become patron of the museum.

"Well… I didn't expect this." Tony gave the figure to Happy. "Here, it's all yours."

"Boss…" Happy took a deep breath and made eye contact with Tony. "I understand how you feel about this… well that thing." Happy pointed to Tony's mini arc reactor on his chess. "And, well, when you're Iron Man, you're also risking you're life, boss. I mean, you know than the clock is ticking against you about that palladium thing. But Iron Man … it's like Russian roulette. You'll never know if you would be able to come back in one piece or not. I'm not saying you're not capable of kicking those assholes asses. What I'm saying is that you never know what can happen. But in this case, with your little gizmo, you are."

Tony raised an eyebrow. Happy rethought his words so Tony could get his point.

"What I'm trying to say is that you're not the kind of guy who just gives up just like that," Hogan said. "Or you need that one of those crazy weirdoes make you do some devise to destroy earth, and because you are… well you. You decide to do completely the opposite?"

Tony smiled at him and answered the uneasy Hogan, "You know something Hap? You're the only one who can make me feel like an ass."

**[Well Happy doesn't do much on the movies, and he is an important character... so im using him to not left him neglected... i want a driver/bodyguard like him heheh]**


	6. Keep Runing

[**I want to apologize for the inconvenience, mea culpa I uploaded the doc but for some random reazon it didnt showed correctly, I have a beta reader which I torture her with every chap I write and well for me was odd that someone pointed out errors, maybe I upoloaded the wrong one... Anyway re read is encouraged, sorry for the short chapter and Im not sure if is good or if is bad but receiving many susbcriptions is good, but no coments?]**

Chapter 06: Keep Running…

Tony had been working for weeks trying to solve the palladium issue, but nothing had worked so far. Days had been passing so fast, he barely could remember what had happened the day before. Things were going so fast: Iron Man, the company, Pepper…

In fact, the only thing that wasn't working was with Pepper. Every day she seemed upset/angry/etc. at him with or without a reason. And no matter how little the reason was she simply couldn't stand Tony being… well, Tony.

He simply sat on his living room coach and took a deep breath. "Oh god…" he said while he was trying to remember what had happened during the day.

Tony rested his head on the coach and closed his eyes, but nothing really came up. Everything was fast, confusing, and annoying. He felt like life was running away from him so fast that it would just simply escape from him.

Stark opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. The complete silence was heavy and his thoughts were just crashing on his head, making him more uncomfortable.

"Well, I need some air."

He raced down to his workshop and looked for the keys of his hot rod and ran away from his house, from everything.

He really didn't want to go to a place in particular; he just wanted to run, and fast.

Quickly the speedometer started to rise and rise; his heart was beating as fast as his car was running. And maybe, just maybe, he could catch back his life in the process.

"**! **! Fu…ing **! I'm not as strong, or cool, or whatever else people thing I am. I'm not good… not enough for you, I'll never be. I'm sorry Pepper."

Tony pushed the pedal harder and he felt the speed pushing him to the seat. He entered a desert, and when he couldn't see more than sand and the blood-red sky, he stopped and killed the engine.

The sun was going down, but the view was spectacular so he decided to turn on the stereo and, with his favorite rock music, he just stayed there, staring at the sun.

"I wish you were here…" he whispered.

**(enjoy, coments?) (yeah re-corected again, nopw you can smack me...)**


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